Nobbon
}} Nobbon Half-hob is a lieutenant in Dubiel's army, appearing in Might and Magic: The Shadowsmith. His father was a hob, and his mother human. Nobbon was proud of his ability to speak the human language, a feat that set him apart from his father's race. He considered it slanderous when Hitch referred to him as a hob, and instantly corrected him. He claimed to be Dubiel's confidant, but there was also a lot he didn't know about his master's plans. Hitch described him as a "wizened little manlike creature dressed in patched and faded green trousers with a black vest open over its ample waist and a conical red hat perched at an angle on its head." He had knobby hands and a beaklike nose, and spoke in a high-pitched gabble. Varve noted that "it certainly smells like a hob, clothes or no clothes!" Background Shortly after Hitch had killed the figure they believed to be Dubiel, while Jassad Attqua was retrieving his ship from the lake, Carverax noticed someone spying on the party from the trees. When Nobbon refused to come down, Carverax decided to bring both the tree and the spy back to Hitch. The group asked him about his master's plans, and why Dubiel had tried to sneak up on Jassad. Nobbon refused to answer, but when Hitch asked Carverax to throw the spy into the middle of the lake, he eagerly answered all their questions. When Jassad retrieved his ship, he seemed to go insane, and went off to destroy the Unseen Wall, with Carverax clinging to the outside of the craft in an effort to stop him. Nobbon offered to let Hitch, Varve, and the Tinderboy follow them in his car. The vehicle was triangular, flat and low to the ground. From the outside, it had a "pebbly, granular texture" that changed color to blend into its surroundings, but from inside, the walls were transparent. They drove north to follow Jassad's craft, making camp at night before driving on in the morning. On the second night, Hitch fell asleep while on guard duty, when he suddenly heard Nobbon speaking to someone in his car. It turned out that he was communicating with Dubiel through a radio. Nobbon planned to take the supplies and leave Hitch and the others during the night, but when Hitch pointed the Staff of Blue Light at him, he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. He explained that Dubiel was capable of having more than one body - while Hitch had destroyed one of them at the lake, he had now settled in another, belonging to a woman. After this, the group continued north to find Jassad's craft, but now, they tied Nobbon to a tree every time they had to rest. After seven days, they reached the Siccative, and three days later, they reached the Blasted Lands. Here, the Tinderboy ran from the car to go to the meeting of the candlemen, and Hitch and Varve tied Nobbon up before following him. When they had met up with Diligence and her companions, Grapple decided to check on the half-hob, and told them that he was gone, along with the car and most of their possessions - including the Staff of Blue Light. A few days later, while inside Jassad's craft, the group discovered that Dubiel had taken over Grapple's body. The Shadowsmith called for Nobbon to bring him the staff, and he emerged from a cupboard, holding the artifact. The half-hob held back, keeping the staff beyond Dubiel's reach, and told his master that "These folk never harmed me. Perhaps now is the time for an end to battling." With fury dancing on his face, Dubiel plunged his blade into the half-hob's belly, taking the staff as Nobbon fell lifeless to the floor. Personality Nobbon acted very arrogantly, but folded easily under pressure. He and Varve had a mutual dislike for each other, but Nobbon seemed to be eager to be friends with the group. When Hitch and Varve discovered his intention to leave them in the middle of the night, he told them that now, "we may begin again on new ground. Three jolly friends are we from this moment forth, three carefree wanderers on the world's wide road!" He also spoke of the "easy camaraderie of the open road". It's unclear how much of this was sincere and how much was trying to get them to let their guard down, but it's clear that he wanted peace in the end, even losing his life trying to keep the staff out of Dubiel's reach. Category:Dreamwright & Shadowsmith characters